While the Kidsave Miracles Gala is always a spectacular event, this year was especially awe-inspiring as we celebrated Kidsave’s 25th Anniversary. The anniversary celebration kicked off with the first gala event in Los Angeles, then it was our turn in Washington, D.C.!
We gathered at the beautiful National Press Club, where everyone could mingle and enjoy cocktails and appetizers while they scoped out all the great silent auction items available to bid on. Then, it was time to move into the dining hall for dinner and the presentation. We were honored to have Tia Mitchell, Washington Correspondent for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as our Master of Ceremonies, and she and our auctioneer, Max Wolf, kicked the evening’s proceedings off with a bang. The two immediately led us into a lively auction of a bottle of Magnum Wine of Heritage School Vineyards to get the crowd going. This bottle of wine was just one of many incredible items auctioned off throughout the night, including two dining experiences personally crafted by professional Chef Pam Nanudorn, Olivia Rodrigo tickets, a trip to Colorado, a one-week stay in LA, and so much more! The room was electric as all the amazing auction items were bid for and won.
The live and silent auctions were a great time and raised much-needed funds that will allow Kidsave to continue our life-changing programs, but what really enraptured the audience were the speeches given. First, Kidsave Co-Founder Terry Baugh introduced us to our honored guest, Scott Simon.
Scott Simon
Scott Simon is an esteemed journalist and the host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday and Up First. Scott is also an author of the book Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other, wherein he shares the story of how he and his wife Caroline adopted their two daughters from China. For his commendation and advocacy for adoption, we were proud to name Scott Simon our Inspirational Voices Honoree.
In his acceptance speech, Scott spoke briefly about his adoptive daughters, sharing an anecdote about how, upon receiving congratulations from his oldest daughter about the award, he quickly said, “Oh, baby, but you know what the real award is don’t you?” To which his daughter responded with an eye roll, “Yeah, I know, me and [my sister].”
Scott went on to say that his daughters have grown up “kind, funny, and hardworking, but especially kind, and I am very proud of that.” In confirmation of how hardworking they are, he shared that one of them could not join us for the Gala that night as they had a babysitting job that evening. Scott’s pride for his daughters absolutely radiated from him as he spoke.
Scott quickly shifted his focus to the theme of the night though and began discussing Kidsave’s work and the thousands of children still in need of loving families.
“My wife and I have concluded over the years every child in the world deserves love. No matter their age, their country, or nationality, every child in the world deserves a family,” said Scott. “Every child deserves the joy of a real childhood in which they can play, and they are loved, and they are cared for, and they are celebrated, and they are laughed along with, and they are held, and hugged, and kissed, and told bad dad jokes that will make them cringe. Those children, like all children, deserve to be made to feel whatever their tests in life today and in the years that are ahead that they are at the center of someone’s world. Thank you Kidsave for what you do to put this feeling into the lives of so many children around the world.”
His words encapsulated Kidsave’s mission of a forever family for every child, everywhere, and the thunderous applause throughout the room showed that it resonated with everyone.
Natasha Galyean
Later in the night, we had the privilege of hearing from Kidsave alumna, Natasha Galyean.
Kidsave was first founded after Terry Baugh and Randi Thompson witnessed the deplorable conditions of orphans growing up in orphanages and institutions in Russia and Kazakhstan in the 1990s. In 1999, they launched the very first Kidsave Summer Miracles program which brought orphans from Kazakhstan and Russia to connect with potential adoptive families here in the U.S. Of the children brought that very first summer, 97% were adopted.
In 2000, a little girl named Natasha from Krasnodar, Russia, was part of the second Summer Miracles group to make that journey. Natasha was eight years old at the time and living in an orphanage after she’d been removed from her home at the age of three.
“The orphanage was a scary and a very confusing place,” said Natasha. “Food was very limited, and we were forced to sit and wait for our caretakers to finish eating. Then we would be given whatever scraps were left. Life at the orphanage was extremely isolating. I remember night after night, standing behind ceiling to floor curtains looking out at the vast night sky and praying for my mama and papa to come back and get me, but it wasn’t to be.”
Natasha never gave up hope for a family, though, and in 2000, she was asked if she wanted to go to America as part of Kidsave’s Summer Miracles program. She accepted, and that summer was the adventure of a lifetime for her. Natasha had never been on a bus before, much less a plane, and she recalled looking for angels in the sky as they flew through the clouds.
That summer, Natasha and another little girl from the orphanage, Nina, stayed with a host family, David and Susan Galyean. And although there was a language barrier between them, Natasha could tell she was surrounded by love. For four weeks, they had new experiences, going to restaurants and zoos, meeting new people, experiencing America.
As the hosting period was ending, David and Susan asked Natasha and Nina through a translator if they wanted to join their family and be adopted. Natasha was overjoyed and eagerly accepted! Once the adoption was finalized, Natasha and Nina were brought home and started their new life with David and Susan in America.
“I wish I could say it was a fairytale ending, but we had our challenging moments,” said Natasha, somberly. “As a kid I didn’t realize how much the abuse and neglect of my childhood in the orphanage affected me. Or how it would catch up with me. In my early teens I was faced with emotional challenges and PTSD relating to my time in Russia.”
Natasha went on to explain how her difficult childhood and PTSD led her to substance abuse and as a result, she ended up pushing away the family she had always wanted. In fact, at 18, Natasha left home and joined the circus as a trapeze artist. She found herself alone, feeling ashamed and unworthy.
Her family never stopped loving her, though. “No matter how hard I pushed them away, how hurtful or mean I was, my mommy and daddy never left my side,” said Natasha. “They continued to love me unconditionally—sometimes with some much-needed tough love. Without that love, who knows where I might be now.”
Today, Natasha is sober and using her circus skills to work with at-risk youth, youth in foster care, and youth with special needs, helping them to build trust and empower themselves. She is also working as a veterinary technician and loves working with animal companions! Her family couldn’t be more proud of her.
“It takes extraordinary individuals to embark on the journey of adoption. It is lifelong work of unwavering love,” said Natasha. “I believe my adoption was successful because my parents saw me as a gift from God. And to me, my parents are a true gift from God too. They gave me unconditional love and they gave me what I always hoped and longed for—a family. Today we are a strong, loving, united family and I am getting to experience that happy ending.”
Thanks to the incredible generosity of everyone in attendance and a surprise gift of $100,000 from a Kidsave family in honor of their adoptive son, we were able to reach our target for the night! Thank you to everyone who supported us in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles for our 25th Anniversary and to everyone who has loyally supported us since 1999!
See and download photos from the D.C. Gala here.
We hope you all will join us for a grass-roots hike on November 9 in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C, and the Bay Area. Stay tuned for more information and contact Sophie at sophie@kidsave.org for sponsorship information.
Kidsave’s 25th Anniversary
Join us as we celebrate our 25th anniversary! Are you a Kidsave family who wants to share your story? Learn how here.
